A liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “LCD”) device having an LCD panel using polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (hereinafter referred to as “PDLC”) includes a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal layer, in which nematic liquid crystal is dispersed in a polymer matrix. For example, polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) is one of such liquid crystal. An LCD device using PDLC is configured so that a difference between the refractive indices of the polymer region and of the liquid crystal region causes incident light incident upon the LCD panel to be scattered when a voltage is not applied to the liquid crystal layer, while a match between the refractive indices of the polymer region and of the liquid crystal region causes incident light incident upon the LCD panel to be transmitted through the liquid crystal layer when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer. In addition, an LCD device using PDLC is capable of controlling transmission and scattering of incident light within the LCD panel, and thus is advantageous in that polarizing plates are not required, and therefore a bright display can be achieved.
An LCD device using PDLC having a configuration described above can be fabricated, for example, by filling the liquid crystal cells with a mixed material of a liquid crystal material and a monomer having photopolymerizability, irradiating the mixed material with light to polymerize the monomer, and dispersing the liquid crystal material in the polymer matrix in the form of small particles by phase separation due to the polymerization.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes that, in an LCD device having a light-scattering liquid crystal layer, a light-blocking layer of a counter substrate is formed so as to block light from gaps between pixel electrodes and signal lines along the signal lines in order to prevent the unpolymerized remaining portion of light curable resin from remaining.